War Service

When the pilots of the Tuskegee Airmen earned their wings and deployed to the warfront, they carried an extra burden of proving their worth to military leaders, simply because of the color of their skin. It was a commonly held belief at the time that these men, although thoroughly trained using the same protocol and standards as white pilots, lacked equal capacity in skill and courage. It would take an extraordinary record to prove otherwise, and the Tuskegee Airmen made their place in history by doing just that. And they did it despite numerous obstacles set before them. They are an example of courage and perseverance for generations to come.

Tuskegee Airmen pilots credited with shooting down 8 of the 28 German planes destroyed in dogfights over the new Allied beachheads south of Rome, talk over the day’s exploits at a U.S. base in the Mediterranean theater.

During WWII, the Tuskegee Airmen (then known as the “Red Tails”) flew: 1267missions and 6381combat sorties with the 12th Air Force (June, 1943 to May, 1944) 311missions and 9152 combat sorties with the 15th Air Force (June, 1944 to May, 1945) Total Missions: 1578 Total Combat Sorties: 15,533Total Aerial Kills: 112

Records and highlights:

992 pilots trained at Tuskegee Army Airfield

There were 44classes that graduated during the “Tuskegee Experience.”

352 pilots deployed overseas

744 air medals awarded

3 Presidential Unit Citations awarded

150 Distinguished Flying Crosses awarded

1 Legion of Merit awarded

1 Legion of Merit awarded

1 Silver Star awarded

2 Soldier Medals awarded

8 Purple Hearts awarded

14 Bronze Stars awarded

1 Red Star of Yugoslavia awarded

3 German jets shot down

112 enemy aircraft destroyed

Statistics provided by the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

It is important to note, however, that it is a commonly held myth that the Tuskegee Airmen did not lose a bomber on any of their escort missions. The Airmen did in fact lose bombers on their escort missions, but they lost significantly less than other fighter groups at the time.

The Fight Song

Contact –Joy stick back –Sailing through the blueGallant sons of the 99th –Brown men tried and trueChorus:We are the Heroes of the night –To hell with the Axis mightFIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!Fighting 99th.

Rat-tat, Rat-tat-tat –Down in flames they goThe withering fire of the 99th –Sends them down belowChorus:We are the Heroes of the night –To hell with the Axis mightFIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!Fighting 99th.